


Connected

by chickodee



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Demon Dipper Pines, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Host Dipper Pines, Human Bill Cipher, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overprotective Bill Cipher, Slow Burn, They're More Like Half-Demon Half-Human Techniqually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2018-12-31 04:57:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12125004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chickodee/pseuds/chickodee
Summary: Starting high school in your hometown with your twin sister is one thing. Unless you've been absent for a good five years. When you drop out of middle school to train with a demon that you've trapped souls with to return in senior year, well, people talk. And they're not all good things.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this is more of a prologue, explaining what happened before the start of the actual story. dipper is 13 here and is in the middle of the weirdmageddon. short, but the first chapter will be posted right after this!!
> 
> enjoy :)

Weirdmageddon was something Dipper never expected to experience; and was something he did _not_ want to experience again thank you very much.

The end of the beginning of the new world was less than favorable. And if Dipper really could go about it in a different way if he had the chance he would. _He so would_. But he was stuck with his choice.

Being a human host to a dream demon was a hard choice, but he made it without a second-thought. Ford was a golden backscratcher, Stan was nowhere to be found and Mable was bubbled and locked away. Dipper was on his last leg. Gideon had hunted him down, captured Wendy and Soos, and was close to getting him too. Dipper couldn't complete the ritual without the others on the wheel.

The only thing he knew that Bill couldn't resist was a deal.

It took work and convincing and too much time, but he managed to lure the demon out of his temple. He spilled lies about knowing how to remove the magical dome around Gravity Falls and would give that information to Bill for a trade on his family. Bill eventually agreed and met him alone. Dipper knew it was dangerous and all around a stupid idea. He had no real idea _how_ strong Bill even was. He didn't know if his plan would work. Because if it didn't he was risking not just his lives but his families. The townsfolk's. He would be the reason they die. But he'd go through with it anyways. He'd do what he could no matter what.

But Bill took the bait, and without a shadow of a doubt stepped into Dipper's work. He remembered something in one of Ford's journal. A ritual to force a magical creature into a body, making said body a host, a containment for whatever was being locked away. And Bill had stepped into the circle without even knowing it. If there was one weaknesses of Bill's it was his ability to underestimate his favorite Pine Tree.

The ritual did not go exactly as planned. Their souls were severed, split and shared between each host. However it worked better than Dipper had expected. With the sharing of souls Dipper had taken half of Bill's demonic powers and Bill was forced into a human form, rendering him almost completely useless. The demons retreated and the rift closed. Everything returned to normal. Like an all-powerful dream demon never tried to take over the world in the first place.

The situation was a bad one. Bill was stripped of his powers, but he was still there. Still _alive_.

Dipper wanted to strangle the man in his new form. Wanted to watch the life leave his now mismatched eyes. Wanted to burn him alive.

Sharing souls was a scary thing too he learned.

Mable and his Grunkles were just as horrified when Dipper had come back to town with Bill. Ford tried to kill Bill on sight and Stan swung Mable behind him protectively despite his twin trying to claw his way to the once-demon. It was only after Bill was checked over that it was decided he was no threat, which angered Bill more than it should have. Dipper tried to distance himself from him, tried to focus on helping the town recover, but being away from Bill for too long made both their bodies slowly burn.

Ford ran his tests. The whole while mumbling his disappointment in Dipper for going to such extremes. In conclusion sharing souls connected them, and being away from one another for too long would shut down their bodies until eventual death. For a while Dipper didn't think that was too bad. Even if he was dead at least Bill would be too. But he knew his family would never let that happen.

But he swore the moment he could, he would run. He would run until his body burned his insides until he crashed and died. Because Bill couldn't be alive.

No matter what.


	2. Sharing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for a quick look on what the look like here's a link to a sketch I drew up real quick! https://ibb.co/eVnub5  
> this is mostly to show what their eyes and tattoos look like! enjoy :)

You would think sharing souls with a demon for the past five years you'd be close, pretty much inseparable, right?

Not if you hated each others guts before the initial soul sharing. And Bill made it clear that if he hadn't hated Dipper before he sure as hell did now. Dipper didn't mind. He loathed the dream demon just as much. They avoided one another like the plague, far enough away to not see each other, but close enough that their insides burned a bearable amount.

The only time they did have to be nearby was during testing. Ford had spent the first two years trying to find a way to undo the ritual. Dipper had been just as determined, but each lead led to a dead end. All ways wouldn't trap Bill, but set him free. And if Dipper had to live as a half-demon freak then dammit he will. Even if half the town was terrified of him and he could hurt somebody at any given moment. The following three years they had been forced to head out into the forest with Ford once a weak to _"train"_.

Dipper would hardly call it training. For Bill it was teaching him how to be a convincing human, and for Dipper it was to try and control his demon urges. It was the one thing that he and Bill could agree on. Being a half-demon half-human blows. Dipper couldn't even attend the schools at Gravity Falls, they refused his enrollment in fear he'd hurt another student, so he had been homeschooled.

Now it was the beginning of senior year and Dipper was driving his dingy Chevy Impala through the mountains of California on a stagnant highway.

With Bill.

Neither of them liked it. Not at fucking all. Dipper had tried to explain to Mable that, no, being stuck in a house for the next year with Bill was not something he wanted to do. But Mable begged him, she even begged Bill over the summer. She wanted Dipper to graduate with her, spending the past five years of summers together was not enough and she missed him. Dipper couldn't say no to Mable because he loved her. Bill couldn't because he was terrified of her.

So here they were. The past five hours of the drive spent in the most uncomfortable silence Dipper's ever had to endure.

So no. Sharing souls for five years did _not_ make you any closer than before.

Dipper looked to the side slightly, studying the blond in his passengers seat. Bill looked bored, his gaze directed to the window, watching the pine trees. The eye patch over his left eye was lifted, showing off the soft brown coloring of it. Dipper self-consciously tugged at his bangs. He couldn't wear an eye patch-didn't want to actually-to hide his single electric blue eye. Unlike Bill who could hide his without a problem Dipper had less luck. And he could already feel the embarrassment burning in the pit of his stomach. Mable had told the other students of her high school about him. How he had cataracts in his left eye. He shouldn't be embarrassed about it but he was. He knew someone would bully him over it.

A tapping noise took Dipper from his thoughts and he was watching Bill from the corner of his eye again. Bill's brows were furrowed and his lips were pressed together in a tight line. He was tapping at rain droplets on the window, each one dribbling down with each tap. Dipper wanted to snarl at Bill to stop, he was acting childish, but the tapping was the only noise either of them had made since packing up and leaving Gravity Falls. It grounded Dipper in that moment.

A few cars drove past them as they winded around a curve. Bill paused to watch them intently, glaring at the shaded windows like he was trying to burn whoever was inside. Dipper shot a glare. "Stop that."

Bill's head snapped towards him and Dipper regretted speaking. 

"Finally, Pine Tree!" Bill threw himself back against his seat with a wolfish grin, tucking his arms behind his head. "I was getting so bored! I was wondering how long you could keep the silent treatment up."

"I was hoping through the whole school year." Dipper grumbled, earning an offended chortle from Bill. The brunet shrugged his shoulders awkwardly, keeping his eyes plastered on the road. A green sign detailed in white blocky writing told him he was only ten miles from Piedmont. "If you were so bored, you could've spoken up."

"Where's the fun in that." Bill rolled his wrist. "S'not like if I talked first you would've responded. You probably would've gotten irritated. And I don't need to deal with you when you're like that."

Dipper wanted to get mad at him, but the dream demon wasn't wrong. "Too bad you made me irritated anyways." Dipper decided to shoot back instead, huffing. Bill chuckled, and Dipper could feel his eyes on him. "You've trapped me and had me stuck with you for the past five years. I think I get to irritate you."

"We've avoided each other for the past five years." Dipper snapped, losing patience. It was bad enough Bill hadn't died without being reminded that he had to endure conversation with him. "So no, you haven't been stuck with me."

"You know what I mean." Bill sounded just as testy as Dipper was getting. "Our souls are combined, we don't have to be near each other to  _feel_ each other."

Dipper knew it all too well. Sharing souls was a hassle; draining. They could feel each other. Every little pain or flicker of emotion. It made the years difficult for them both. He knew Bill had always felt the dread whenever he came near Dipper. The loathing and disgust. Dipper didn't care, he wanted Bill to know exactly how he felt about him. Even if sometimes there was the feeling of guilt he always shoved to the recesses of his mind. He couldn't- **wouldn't** -feel any kind of guilt for Bill Cipher.

"Just-" Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose, holding in a hissing sigh "-stop talking. We're almost there, okay."

Bill didn't respond. Instead he looked back out the window and the cloud of awkwardness before turned into a crashing wave of tension. If Dipper didn't hate Bill he would've laughed at the teenage angst spewing from the demon.

The next twenty minutes passed quickly as Dipper drove through the mountains, entering the city. The sight gave him instant nostalgia. He hadn't been to Piedmont in five years. Never to even visit Mable or their parents. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He was so used to the quiet of Gravity Falls and the forest. He was glad Mable had managed to snag a small house in the valley where it was substantially calmer than downtown.

He could see Bill straining his neck to look around, like a kid in a candy store, intrigued by all the cars that suddenly swarmed around them as they drove through the city. After eight stop lights the light in Bills eyes left and he was leaned all the way back in his seat, leg bopping. "Holy shit, Pine Tree, how did you and Shooting Star grow up here? Its so busy."

"Its not that bad." Dipper's voice was fond, more distracted with reminiscing than getting defensive with Bill. "But I guess it was always kind of. . suffocating? It's defiantly different from Gravity Falls." The car lurched when the next pair of lights went green and Bill growled, muttering under his breath before sitting up again. "You can walk anywhere in Gravity Falls. I hope we don't have to go through this every day."

Dipper laughed, genuine for once. "No. The house Mable got is only a ten minute walk from the high school, so we won't have to drive through traffic or anything."

"Good. How did Shooting Star even afford buying a house?" Bill had his entire body turned towards Dipper, hugging his sides, and staring the brunet up and down like he was suddenly interesting. Dipper shrugged awkwardly. "She didn't have to pay anything out of pocket. It was an agreement, sort of? If I came back for senior year than our parents and the grunkles would get us a place to stay."

"Oh." Bill hummed.

They turned onto a suburb and Dipper sighed in relief to see the house from Mable's pictures. It wasn't anything extraordinary. A simple and small house, white with ashy brown detailing. It had a driveway big enough for two cars and Dipper could see Mable's pale yellow 1980 Slug Bug Convertible. It matched her personality well. The patio at the front of the house had a swing on it with a single potted plant but other than that looked pretty barren.

Bill was already pulling his seatbelt off before Dipper parked in the driveway, throwing the door open. "I can walk!" Bill sing-songed, stretching outside of the car. Dipper repressed a snort, turning the car off and stepping out too. "You could've asked to stop at a gas station if you felt so cramped." Bill waved him off, instead digging in the back seat through their luggage. "I just want to get to my room and hide there for the rest of your school year."

Dipper paused in the middle of pulling out a duffle bag. He offered a smile to bill, brows furrowed. "Bill you know you have to go to school with us. Mable already got you enrolled."

"What?" Bill looked up sharply, his electric blue eyes flashing red for a split second. Dipper snorted out loud this time, swinging the bag around his shoulders. "We can't stay too far from each other. And don't even argue, I tried it with Mable. She doesn't want either of us to strain ourselves even if we can handle it." He headed for the house, Bill following after with a flailing arm, his other one dragging a suitcase. "But, school is so boring! What's the point? You don't even like school!"

Dipper sighed, pausing at the door. "The point is Mable. She wants us to graduate together, and I can't say no to her. She deserves whatever she wants after everything she's had to go through." When he looked back at Bill, the taller blond was looking down at the ground with a tight-lipped frown. Dipper could feel something akin to guilt coming from the other. But that wasn't right. What could Bill feel guilty about. Dipper frowned. It wasn't _his_ fault that Dipper ignored Mable for the past five years other than the summer visits. Too stuck in his own feelings and problems to think about hers most of the time.

"She deserves this Bill, and we both owe her." He gently grabbed Bill's wrist, trying to offer a comforting smile even though it felt disgustingly fake. If Bill noticed-which Dipper knew he did-he didn't point it out and nodded in agreement instead. Dipper let go to rasp his knuckles against the white, wooden door. A few seconds passed before he heard noises inside the home. Frantic footsteps, a bang, cursing, then running again. It put a fond grin on Dippers face and he felt his heart soaring with each footstep sounding closer to him.

Another few seconds and the door was whipped open with such force Dipper though Mable's arm would sprain. His twin was instead leaning against the door with a wild smile, the ponytail he hair had been it half falling out. "Dip-Dop!" She squealed, throwing her arms around him, he embraced her with the same fervor. "I've missed you so much." Her voice was muffled, tucked into the crook of his neck. Dipper could feel the tears, and pet his sisters had with a sad happiness. "We saw each other a month ago."

"Its different." Mable pulled herself away, keeping a hand on Dipper's shoulder while wiping her eyes with her other. Dipper moved his own hand up to squeeze hers in comfort. "I know." It had been so long, so many years that had to keep apart from one another. To spend a year together before she headed off to college was more than Dipper could ask for.

"Its nice to see you too, Bill." Mable had left Dipper to pull the tall blond in a hug. The demon went stiff, awkwardly hugging the girl back. Dipper would've laughed to if it didn't make him equally uncomfortable to witness. Mable didn't seem to mind though she was used to it after five years of being the unwielding moderator between the two. She knew Bill a little better than Dipper because of it, and for whatever reason that bothered him deeply, but he always pushed the feeling far away.

"Its good to see you too, Shooting Star." Bill was quick to warm up to her and the hug turned into a more genuine one, hugging each other tightly before letting go.

"Come on, I'll show you guys around!" Mable grabbed them both by their hands, hauling them into the house after her. Dipper felt himself flush, shoulders bumping against Bill, and he knew he was just _too_ close to the other. "We need to grab our stuff from the car." Dipper tried to argue. "We'll get to that don't worry!" Mable brushed him off, but thankfully let go of their hands. Dipper immediately distanced himself from Bill, very unsubtly; He could see Bill's lips press into a tight line as he did it.

Right past the doorway was the living room and Dipper could see what made the banging noise. A side table was knocked on its side, a lamp beside it on the floor. Mable chuckled to herself as she put it back in its place beside the well-worn brown couch that faced a moderate-sized television. "I got a little excited when I heard you knocking." Mable only sounded a little embarrassed. "Its fine." Dipper smiled, walking forward to investigate the house. To the immediate left of the living room was an open kitchen where a small island sat in the middle. Two black, wooden barstools were idled up against it.

"This place looks nice, Star." Bill whistled, clearly impressed.

"Well, mom helped me pick everything out. Said that our house should be modern." Mable rolled her eyes, bouncing back to sit on the couch's armrest. "I shouldn't have giant unicorn beanbags or any kind of colorful décor apparently." Though Mable smiled nonetheless. "Which is fine I guess, as long as my room can be all mine."

"Sounds fair." Bill snorted.

Dipper walked past to peak into a hallway past the living room. There was a bathroom and a door that probably led to a closet. At the end was the beginning of a stairway. "Are the rooms up here?"

"Oh, right!" Mable was scooting past him already, sprinting for the stairs. Dipper followed with a laugh and was acutely aware of how close Bill was behind them as they walked up. It led right to another hallway. There were three doors on the left of the hall. The closest had stickers already plastered on the door, with a sign that said _Mable_ in pretty, colorful calligraphy.

"This is my room." She cooed, throwing the door open. Dipper peaked in and wasn't surprised by any means. "Hell." Bill was leaning in too with a smirk. "You weren't kidding about the unicorns." Dipper shot Bill a nasty glare, but the demon just ignored him. "Yeah, well, I guess you just never grow out of the things you loved as a kid." Mable laughed, unaffected.

Her room was painted a soft yellow, with a king-sized bed covered in a plush pink comforter with purple pillowcases. There was a unicorn beanbag chair seated beside a white wooden desk that had many of Mable's art supplies scattered across it. She had an easel in the corner by her closet with a canvas already splattered with colors Dipper could never mesh together as beautiful as his sister did. It looked like a mermaid.

Mabel closed the door, guiding them down the hall, suddenly sheepish. "Okay, now I don't want either of you to freak out."

"Mable." Dipper breathed, eyes narrowed.

She led them right past the second door and to the third. She opened it.

"Oh god, please don't tell me-"

"I'm sorry, yeah, it's exactly what it looks like."

"No-" Dipper groaned, putting his face in his hands before peaking through his fingers at the room. Bill walked into the room with a confused expression aimed at the twins. "What's the problem?"

Dipper paused to stare. The room was a dulled down blue with a white desk like Mable's, but unlike hers it was neat and untouched. A wheelie chair tucked into it. The window at the end wall opened up to a nice view of the front of the house, scaled over the roofs of the other houses to see the mountains on the horizon. Dark blue curtains were pinned away to show off the sight, white trim around the window and the rest of the room. It was very _him_. Neat, modern, but cozy. The only problem was the king sized bed against the right wall of the room.

Bill followed his gaze to it and after a heartbeat clicked two and two together. Dipper could see the realization in his electric blue eye, he left already re-hidden by his eye patch. He blanched, looking at Mable. "Tell me that that second door is to my room."

"No, sorry, that's a bathroom." Mable offered a sympathy smile but it made neither male relaxed.

"Why _that_ bed though?" Dipper hissed, trying to control the heat in his cheeks. Mable smiled still, and Dipper could see it was strained now. "Mom doesn't know about Bill remember? I couldn't suggest to her to get two twin beds without her questing it." Dipper felt instantly guilty and shut his mouth. Mable was trying hard for them, had been trying hard for a long time. She had been working hard for this day. To be able to spend one last year with Dipper that wasn't just a short summer trip. It was bad enough Dipper had become estranged from his parents. He knew Mable didn't want that to happen to her either.

So instead of arguing he sat on the bed, patting the spot beside him while staring at Bill intently. Dipper didn't have to send a mind message to tell Bill what was up. The demon fell back onto the bed with a sigh. "We'll live. By the way good choice on the color, its very Pine Tree."

"That's what I was going for." Mable's mood switched back to her cheerful one and her honey-brown eyes filled with hope again. She leaned against the doorway and Dipper smiled at her. She looked grateful and Dipper was happy for that. He fell back on the bed too and for once didn't care about the closeness of him and Bill. He could feel their knuckles brushing but it didn't bother him for once to feel the demons touch.

It felt like hours-but was most likely only a few seconds-before Mable spoke again. "So I have to go grocery shopping and pick up our school supplies. I'd ask if you'd want to go, but you both look kind of beat." Dipper shot her a glare that held no heat. "Hey, rude."

"I speak nothing but the truth." She snorted, moving to leave the room. "Get unpacked before you take a nap." With that she left and Dipper felt his body go limp against the bed. He fought the idea of getting up and walking down the stairs just to grab the rest of his luggage.

 _"Lets just go to bed."_ Bills voice spoke in his head and Dipper turned to look at him. The blond had his eyes closed; relaxed.

 _"We have to unpack."_ Dipper thought back, sighing out loud. _"And we're right next to each other, just talk out loud idiot."_

"Fine." Bill groaned, sitting up. "But I want to get it done as fast as possible."

Dipper was about to answer before feeling something akin to getting your blood drawn. The feeling of energy being leeched from your body. It was small and bearable, but enough to irritate Dipper. "Bill." He snarled, after their luggage suddenly appeared in their room. Bill hunched over with a look of equal irritation. "Damn it." Bill hissed through his teeth.

"Maybe you shouldn't use magic without giving me a heads up." Dipper said harshly, standing to open up one of his bags. He could feel Bill glaring at him. "I don't need your permission."

'"Yeah, well, without us both being aware using magic in even small amounts drains our energy quicker and you know it. Don't use it on something so useless." Dipper shot, giving Bill a glare right back. His blue eye flashed red briefly before he looked away, sighing in defeat. "Whatever."

The brunet shook his head, putting his clothes on hangars in the closet. "I'm taking the right side. Come help unpack."

Bill groaned out loud, but Dipper heard the unzipping of a bag and smiled.

They worked in silence, dancing around each other like they were in a ball that only they shared. It was something that came with sharing souls. They always knew where the other was, and worked perfectly together when they had too. It was helpful in training with Ford when they wanted to get it done with as fast as possible to go their separate ways sooner. Now they were stuck together.

Dipper was hooking his computer up on the desk, in the middle of resetting the system. Bill was already cuddled into their shared bed, his burning gaze never leaving Dipper's back. He could feel it, and it was almost unbearable. Dipper finally looked back, beat and sweat dropping. "Could you maybe stop staring at me so intensely?"

Bill laughed, sitting up, throwing the comforter to the side to open up the bed. "Lay down with me Pine Tree."

Dipper recoiled, nose wrinkling, but he could feel his face heat up at the suggestion. "No."

"You've been up all night and you drove the entire way here. You need to sleep." Bill pointed out, still holding on to the grin.

Dipper shifted in the chair uncomfortably. "Its unnerving to hear you with that caring voice."

Bill shrugged like it was no honest deal. "I think its from spending such a long period of time with you after spending five years as far apart as possible." The way he sais it made Dipper feel shameful for some reason and could see the confliction in Bill's eye too. "But I don't really want to think about it, I just want to sleep, and you really need to."

Dipper wanted to argue against it, he really did, but his legs were already dragging him to the bed and crawling under the comforter. Bill threw it back over them, yanking Dipper suddenly close to him. "Don't." Bill hissed, only sounding a _little_ desperate to not be called out. "Just until this feeling goes away okay? I don't think it'll be like this for long once our bodies get used to being around each other."

Now Dipper couldn't really argue, but he screamed in his head. He didn't care for how he meekly nodded to Bill's words, especially not when he settled his head against the blonds chest. He didn't like it. Dipper said it over and over with clenched eyes. It was because of the souls, Bill made sense, it has happened before. Only once, but it had happened where they had been around each other longer than a few hours and it made the separation hurt more than usual.

He didn't care for how Bill's arms snaked around his waist, huffing through his nose as he snuggled his face into Dipper's hair.

They were mortal enemies and this temporary affection would pass. It had too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gah I thought I uploaded this at the same time as the prologue but I guess I didn't whoops
> 
> hope you guys enjoyed, feedback is always appreciated! :)


	3. Comfortable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes sorry for such a long wait! I was in a bit of a depressive mood these last few months, but I'm much better!! And I plan to continue this story and update it much more regularly ;)

Waking up felt strange and Dipper felt momentarily lost. His eyes were clouded, and he was confused by how different the surroundings were. The attic was never this dark, the big window always illuminated his room in the shack.

Even stranger was the feeing of warmth smothering him. It was cozy, and all he could do was cuddle back into the embrace, feeling fingers dancing across his side pulling him in closer.

 _"Your cute like this."_ The voice purring in his mind reminded him that no he wasn't home in gravity falls. And no he wasn't separated from Bill fucking Cipher by a forest between them. The demon was hot and sticky from where their skin had been touching all night and Dipper shoved the other away harshly.

"Don't-" Dipper seethed, feeling a flickering of anger erupt in his stomach. "Don't ever say that again." The brunet gripped the comforter, glaring down at Bill in fever. The blond just stared up at him, exhausted and disappointed. "Why not?"

"Because its weird!" Dipper threw his hands up, gesturing wildly - to what he didn't know - like he was trying to explain a complicated plan to someone who didn't speak his language. The smirk the demon sported didn't help Dipper either. "What can I say? Its the souls unionizing~"

Dipper wanted to gag, wrinkling his nose at the term. Soul-sharing he was fine with, he kind of had to be fine with it, but treating it like their souls were bonding into some kind of matrimony was something he didn't want to tread on. The overstimulation of being around each other for an entire day and night was already too much. He didn't want it to become a thing. Didn't want to bond with Bill.

"No thanks." Dipper growled, folding into himself, feeling his face flush. Bill chuckled out loud, hair messed around his pillow, eyeing up the ceiling. "Pine Tree." He spoke, his voice soft, but it sounded so loud in the quiet of the house. Dipper hoped Mabel wasn't awake; worse, had her ear pressed to the wall listening in.

"You do realize that there isn't a whole lot of options for us." Bill sounded amused, but also. . strangely thoughtful? Dipper looked up to see the dream-demon staring at him now. His eye patch had been discarded some time in the night, his brown eye exposed. Though both eyes held the same soft intensity. "Be quiet." Dipper hushed, feeling self-conscious. Even though he was sure Mabel was asleep - she was a deep sleeper - he was still nervous.

Bill looked unimpressed and reached for Dipper's hand, gripping his wrist and pulling him back into the spot beside him. "Pine Tree." The blond sighed again. "Either you set me free, we die together, or we finish the ritual." Dipper couldn't read Bills expression anymore. He tried to prod at the demons mind, but he kept his emotions guarded too well.

"Why would you want to finish the ritual?" Dipper muttered, honestly surprised. Now he would've taken the death route three years ago, run and make sure both of their hearts collapsed, but it was off the table now. Dipper had his grunkles, his sister. He couldn't do that to them. Especially now. And setting Bill free wasn't an option either even if it set Dipper free too. "How we are now is fine."

"For now, maybe." Bill closed his eyes and Dipper found himself leaning closer. He wanted to know what he could possibly be entertaining right now. After a long string of silence Dipper wondered if Bill had fallen back asleep. He was fine with that. If he could wake up and pretend that they hadn't spoken at all tonight it would be fine.

Of course when you're a human turned half-demon you don't get those types of luxuries. He could hear Bill thinking, not the words exactly, but the hum in his head trying to figure something out. "Ford never spoke about it. He's scared - no - terrified. But I'm an immortal being." His electric blue eye cracked open to look at Dipper. "What do you think that makes you?"

Dipper froze. No, honestly, he hadn't thought about it. Maybe it had flitted across his mind, but he always smashed it far back in his mind, never **wanting** to think about it. He had considered a life with Bill as a nightmare since he first recited the ritual, succeeding in their soul-sharing.

But he had noticed. Since Bills reincarnation into his human body it had stayed the same. A million-year-old dream demon stunted into a half-human, face and body like that of a twenty-year-olds. Dipper's growth was slowing too and he feared for the day that it'd stop all-together. He'd stop aging, eventually watching the few people he loved disappear from his life. It made his chest ache and he wanted to cry.

"One thing I do know about the human world is that time passes by so fast. A century was a blink to me in the mindscape." Bill brushed a hand through his hair. "One day the only thing we'll have is each other. Of course there is the option to-"

"I won't set you free." Dipper snarled, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, refusing to look at the blond. "If you think after what you did five years ago I'll just let you go to try and throw the world into an apocalypse-" He glared angrily at the male across from him "-you're wrong."

There was stab to Dipper's gut, and guilt mingled in his head. He was surprised however because it wasn't his own guilt. Bill was glaring at Dipper. "That wasn't the option I was talking about, Pine Tree." He sounded angry, and both eyes were bright red now. "I've learned my lesson, do you think after walking around in the human world for five years that didn't open up any perspectives to me? I'm not interested in taking over anything. And I'm not interested in being free either."

Dipper was once again surprised by Bill. He had a strange way of doing that. "Why wouldn't you want to be free?" The question was meek, honest and curious. Dipper knew if he was in Bill's shoes he'd take a sliver of a chance to free himself. And Dipper couldn't blame him either he had been a pain in Bill's ass for all these years. So it made no sense that Bill wouldn't take a chance to get away. Out of all the options wasn't that the most temping one to request?

"Or I mean." Dipper pulled at his bangs, frustrated, looking over Bills face. "Why wouldn't you even try to run and kill us both? You hate me!"

Bill blinked, then his astonished expression melted into a dejected smile. "Pine Tree. If I really hated you, don't you think I would've tried running the first second I got? And I had a lot of moments to run. I spent all these years in that forest near the shack while you slept. I could have taken any moment to run and kill us both. I thought about it trust me, but I never did. I couldn't. _Wouldn't_."

Dippers face felt warm. The way Bill stared at him was weirdly intimate, and it felt like the dream demon had just shared some sort of secret that Dipper wasn't suppose to know about. "Look, kid, I hated you for ruining my plans and putting me into this-" he gestured vaguely to the rest of him beneath the comforter "-human body. But after that? Even if we spent the last five years as far away to each other as much as possible our souls are attached to one another. I don't hate you."

"Why though?" Dipper was grasping for thin air at this point. He couldn't understand why Bill didn't hate him. The teenager had so much anger pent up that he abused the demon with, why wouldn't he hate him? How could he not? "I don't know what you want me to tell you." Bill chuckled, the familiar smirk returning to the others face. It was much more comforting than the tense look he had held this entire time.

Dipper rubbed his face, feeling the onslaught of a headache. "Well. Okay. Lets say you really don't hate me." Bill laughed, grabbing Dippers hands from his face. "I don't." Dipper waved him off, rolling his eyes. "And you're really not interested in taking over the world. Why wouldn't you want to be free?"

Bill paused, and for the first time Dipper got to see the blond embarrassed. "Ha-well." Bill was still gripping Dippers hands. The brunet had to stare at Bill, waiting for the answer. The room was starting to lighten, morning pending on them. The dusky blue light haloed Bill's blond hair and olive skin. "Like I said, we've shared souls for all this time, and its hard to imagine not feeling you. I can't imagine being unconnected and watching you die. I don't want to be alone either Dipper."

Bills answer resonated with Dipper and he felt a weird connection with him in that moment. _As if sharing souls wasn't as connecting anyways_. Being alone was a shared fear. For Dipper setting Bill free or killing them both wouldn't be all bad. Either way he wasn't alone. Bill dies with him or Dipper dies with his family like any other ordinary human. For Bill, being set free would be utterly lonely. Dipper couldn't even fathom it. And for a moment he wondered if this is how Bill had felt for the past millennia in the mindscape.

"I don't want you to die either." Bill's voice was low and Dipper leaned in closer because there was no way he actually heard that. Bills hair tickled his cheek, and Dipper had to stay still to keep from thinking about the very small space between them. Bills eyes were unreadable, staring deftly at Dipper. "I want you to finish the ritual. It doesn't have to be now. I can wait, but just consider it."

Dipper stared at Bill, not even distracted by the sounds of Mable waking up and moving around in her own room. He hadn't ever considered finishing the ritual. He had only gone far enough to bond their souls, not - well - fulfill the bonding.

Fulfilling it was an entirely different story. Sharing a soul was one thing to completely bond them was another. Dipper had found the ritual in an old spell book back in Gravity Falls and had been the only option to them at the time to stop Bill. The first part of the ritual was on the human, containing the demon by the splitting then sharing of the souls. The second part relied on both the demon and human if the spell was for more than just trapping a demon. It was the binding of the souls to make one. Forever linking both parties together in eternity.

"Why would you want to spend all of eternity with me?" Was all Dipper could manage because it was all he could think about. Why would Bill Cipher - dream demon and the current bane of Mason Pines existence - want to be stuck with him forever?

Bill laughed, it was deep and guttural this time and Dipper vaguely heard Mabel stop moving in her room. "Why wouldn't I? You're the most interesting human I've ever met." Bills smile must be infectious because Dipper found himself sporting the same look. _Only because of the ludicrously of the situation of course!_ "A lot of things bore me, Pine Tree. All of _humanity_ is boring. Fordsy was okay, but you? You're always interesting, even when you do nothing." Bill did a half shrug and looked at the ceiling again. "I can't think of one reason why I wouldn't want to if that answers your question."

Dipper wanted to punch Bill for some reason. But instead he just smothered his face in his hands because this was just getting to a point that the brunnet was humiliated. He didn't know what kind of answer he was trying to wring from Bill, but this one made his face hot and red and just all around uncomfortable.

He seriously hated being so bashful. Hopefully after the next twenty-four hours this honeymoon phase will be over and their bodies will get used to the constant exposure to one-another.

"You remind me of those teenage girls that get embarrassed by their moms when their friends are around." Bill was staring at him and Dipper could see the shit-eating-grin the blond had etched on his face through his fingers.

"Bill!" He punched the demons exposed shoulder before throwing the comforter off of himself. "I'm going to take a shower and I don't want to see you for the rest of the morning!"

"You can't escape from me when we're at school, Pine Tree ~" Bill crooned after him.

God if Dipper only could.

 

* * *

 

 

"The two of you are getting along surprisingly well." Mabel was sitting across from Dipper at the dining table, sipping on hot cocoa with three outragiously large marshmallows dipping up and down everytime she took a sip.

Dipper ran a hand through his hair, tugging lightly at the bangs. "I don't know what you're talking about." He grumbled, pushing at the glitter-infused scrabbled eggs on his plate with a fork. He felt bad honestly, staring at it. Mable made it special. A pancake with a bacon smily-face with butter slab eyes and scramble eggs for hair. Now it just looked like a child's drawing gone wrong from how much Dipper had fumbled with it to make it look like he was eating.

Mabel snorted into her mug, and Dipper thought her eyes about rolled into the back of her head. "I come home after shopping for _all_ of our school supplies and what do I see?!" She slams a hand down to emphasize her excitement, smirking at Dipper knowingly. "You and triangle-boy asleep and cuddling." She pointed an accusing finger at Dipper and he had to pinch the bridge of his nose to keep his temper in check.

He loved Mable, but her morning cheerfulness clashed with his more than tired-and-grumpy attitude. "We were asleep, not cuddling." He corrected, stabbing his pancake.

Mable shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulder, the same smile on her face. "Okay, I can buy that, but what about this morning?" She pointed a thumb to the stairs and Dipper followed the gesture stupidly. He could faintly hear the shower click off. The sooner Bill got dressed the quicker Dipper could get out of this conversation. "I heard you lovebirds talking it up. I gotta know, did you guys have some like bonding session in the month I haven't seen you?"

Dipper kept himself from flinching at the word _bonding_. That was territory he didn't want to touch. The only other person who knew the entire ritual was Ford. Dipper didn't need to explain that - "Oh, hey sis! By the way just going to throw it out there for ya. That ritual I did to trap Bill? Yup! That's actually a glorified marriage spell. We're basically engaged until the ritual is complete" - No. He didn't need to go through that after already getting lectured by Ford after the whole situation.

"No, we haven't bonded." Dipper growled, finally shoving the plate away from him. Mable eyed it with a frown but said nothing about it. "Its being so close to each other after such a long time. Our souls are getting adjusted to it."

Mable visibly shivered and Dipper eyed his twin quickly. She rubbed her arms, but still smiled anyways. "Sorry, its still weird to hear it. I know its been years, but its still all. . . different? Thinking that you're actually half-demon now. . . by the way-" She pointed at his hands, eyes looking over them experimentally "how well do you have it under control. I forgot to ask when I was with you over the summer. Didn't feel right to bring up."

"Oh." Dipper pressed his fingers together. He could feel the burn in his veins, boiling his blood as he moved it about. He had some of Bill's powers. Not all of them, but enough to make the townsfolk of Gravity Falls be afraid of him. He clenched his fist in frustration at the thought. But they weren't in Gravity Falls anymore. Nobody in Piedmont knew, so Nobody feared him.

"Dip?" Mable reached out to hold his hand but he took them back in an instant. Trying to cover up his reflex he smiled at her encouragingly. "I've been doing a lot better. The blue flames don't even come out when I get really pissed anymore."

"That's great!" Mable grinned, and he could see just how relieved she was by that. It made Dipper's guilt knaw at the pit of his stomach. Sometimes he wondered if Mable was ever afraid of him. But he was too scared to ever ask. In fact; he never wanted to find out.

"Alright, kids, I need to know how long and how boring high school will be." Bill was a sight for sore eyes. Something Dipper would not be glad to admit out loud ever. But it kept him from thinking too far into this Mable-fearing-him thought process.

Bill was fast-walking down the steps, watching each step he took with careful precision. Dipper couldn't help but smile. It was really the one thing Bill never got good at. Walking _down_ stairs. Every now and again he would go rolling down the stairs at the Mystery Shack.

He had a black V-neck with brown jeans and black boots. Dipper snorted. In all honestly he thought Bill would go all out for his first day, not casual. Not that he was to talk. All he had on was a red T with a blue hoodie and black jeans. It was pretty much all he ever wore.

"Looking good, stud." Mable winked at Bill, nodding her approval before looking at Dipper. "Don't you think so too Dip-Dop?" She had that stupid look on her face. That one that always made Dipper groan when he was a kid. The one that always flipped the now-I'm-really-irritated switch in his head. _That one sibling-face_.

"Yeah, you look good." He grumbled, glaring at Bill as he stepped off the last step. Bill paused, smiling, but eyed Dipper closely. "Thank you, Mable." He greeted, patting her on the shoulder while reaching for the plate that Dipper had abandoned.

 _"Did I do something?"_ Bills voice rung worriedly in his head and it was an odd comfort. Dipper stared at the blond as he ate a piece of the pancake. _"No. Its just Mable being Mable."_

Bill at least looked relieved by that and turned his full attention to the teenaged-girl beside him. "So, Shooting Star, I must know. Is school truly as boring as they all say, or what?"

"Worse." Mable smiled, slumping against the table. "Unless you join clubs and make lots of friends." Dipper snorted. "Yeah, well, neither of us are you, Maybes."

"I can make friends." Bill interjected, a toying smirk directed at Dipper. The blond was leaning forwards, all but smothering half of his body across the table just to get closer to the brunet. "Unless you want to keep me by your side at all waking moments. Sleeping too." The wink that was given to Dipper at the end made him grimace, almost gag if he really tried. "Make all the friends you can. I implore you."

Bill cackled, fixing his fingers through the smaller's hair. "I'd rather stay with you."

Dipper felt his face heat up and he glared at Bill through his bangs.

"Sorry love-birds." Mable grabbed Bill, dragging him off of the table. She waved some papers in front of the blonds face. "You guys only have three classes together."

"What?" Bill hissed, ripping the papers from her hand. He eyed them with scrutiny. "You're telling me we have to go to six classes and I only have three with Pine Tree?" Bills blue eye flashed red for a flicker of a second before he handed the papers back to Mable like a three-year-old who was told they wouldn't get dessert after dinner. "Three hours of being bored."

"Hey." Dipper teased, in a good mood now that Bill wasn't. "You're the one who said human time passes by in a blink of an eye in the mindscape."

"Yeah well now I'm half-human and not in the mindscape, am I?" Bill snapped back, arms folded childishly. Mable patted his head with a mother-like smile. "And you can't bully anyone or use your powers. If you do there will be consequences." The seriousness in her tone mixed with her expression even made Dipper want to swallow in fear.

However Bill had a little more control and just shrugged her off. "Fine. No powers, no being evil, no fun."

"Great! Lets go then!" Mable cheered, linking arms with the taller man and dragging him with her out of the kitchen. Dipper got up much more slowly, grabbing their bags from the island before following them to the front door.

"I'm driving today. I want us to go it together and leave together. At least for today." Mable mused, looking around the door as she put her shoes on. "Here" Dipper nudged her shoulder with her backpack and she took it with a short thank you.

"Is that really necessary. Pine Tree said it was a ten minute walk." Bill scowled at the thought of having to get back into a car so soon. Dipper grinned, handing Bill his bag. "Sorry, but we're taking the car. Mable's orders."

 _"Can we just take your car so we can ditch?"_ Bill smiled down at him hopefully, holding the bag tightly, pulling Dipper closer. Dipper blinked before smiling in return. _"No."_ He took a step away from the demon, ignoring the quiet remark from him. _"You're more evil than I am."_

"Why are you guys so quiet?" Mable chuckled, trotting out the door into the chilled morning air. Dipper waited for Bill to leave after him to lock the door, snorting outloud. "Sorry. He's been talking in my head."

 _"_ Oooh, right." Mable drawled. "I always forget about the whole telepathy thing."

"We don't really do it that often." Dipper mumbled, circling Mables bug. He opted to sit in the back. "Bill only ever does it when we're around Ford. And I guess you now."

"Should I be offended?" Mable chuckled as she started the car, looking at him through the rearview mirror. Bill snorted, and to Dippers dismay, climbed into the back with him. He played himself. Should've chosen the front seat. But Bill probably would've used that as an option to get even closer anyways. "Not like I'm telling Dipper about what an awful sister you are if you're wondering."

"Well, I guess that's comforting?" Mable mused. She quieted down after that, focused more on driving than entertaining her passengers. Dipper appreciated the few moments of silence, and he was able to rest his head back on the seat head. The sleep he had gotten was nice, but it was short, and he was awake way to early to feel right.

"You could be asleep in an hour if you just drove and we skipped." Bill whispered, throwing an arm over Dipper's shoulders. He had to glare at Bill, yanking the demons hand. "Reminding me that I'm tired will only make me crankier." He yell-whispered.

Bill chuckled softly, and brushed his fingers across the smaller's forehead. Dipper shivered at the feeling and at the shame rising to his cheeks. His bangs were moved to uncover the electric blue eye. He knew when they got to school someone would make fun of it. Mable really could have come up with something better than _cataracts_. It made him feel kind of pathetic.

"I like you cranky." Bill purred and Dipper wanted to punch him. "Could you stop." He was really getting irritated now. "You're not acting like this because of the contact. You're just trying to be a dick now."

"Am I?" Bill played it innocent, rubbing a thumb across Dippers jawline. "I don't know what you're talking about." Dipper grabbed Bills hand with his own, balling it into a combined fist. He saw red for only a moment and from the sudden excitement in Bills expression it told him his eyes were the same red. "I'm serious, Cipher."

"Aw, bringing out my last name." Bill cooed, bumping foreheads so their noses brushed. "What's next? Gonna ground me? Or send me straight to bed without supper?"

Dipper gripped their conjoined hands tighter. "Enough." He hissed out, feeling his canines poking against his tongue. He would've been better under control if they were alone. Give Bill an angry shove and walk away, but they were stuck in this stupid car with Mable directly in front of them.

"You're getting really mad." Bill continued to prod and Dipper knew what he was trying to do. Well he wasn't getting out of this. The demon was going to suffer with him today. "I know you're trying to get me to use my powers." Dipper had to bite his bottom lip to keep his voice from getting loud enough for his sister to hear. "Its not going to work. We're going to school, and I'll make sure it's even worse for you if you try me."

A finger tapped at his lip, easing his mouth open, swiping at something wet. Bill inspected his fingers, rubbing them together and Dipper had to scowl at the blood he smeared around. He licked his lips and tasted the copper. "Is that a threat, Pine Tree?" Bill wondered curiously, and there was that underlying amusement that was always in his voice. He was tapping at Dippers canines, pulling at the sharp points with the tips of his fingers.

"Maybe." Dipper swatted Bills hand away, forcing himself to calm down. The red haze faded from his vision and he felt his teeth round back to harmless nubs. He glared at Bill, looking over his olive-toned skin, at the sun kissed freckles over the bridge of his nose. It still pissed Dipper off that a fucking triangular dream demon would be given such a good looking human body.

The car veered into a hard right and Dipper was thrown against the door with Bill over him; however, the demons uncovered eye was bright red and directed at Mable who was laughing hard in the front seat. "Shooting Star." Bills demonic voice kicked in with threat, but it only made Mable double over. "I'm sorry! I couldn't help it!" She cried, turning to look back at them apologetically. "Maybe you two shoulda buckled up!"

"N-Not cool!" Dipper blushed, shoving his hands against Bills face to get him off. Bill obliged, and Dipper had to ignore how his hand was on his waist helping him up subconsciously. His gaze flickered out the window and his entire face went red. "Mable." He groaned, humiliation sweeping down his body.

Handful of students walking through the parking lot were eyeing the car, much more curious eyes staring at Dipper and Bill in the back seat. He recognized some of them from middle school and it only made his stomach do more backflips.

"Sorry." Mable repeated, much more genuine this time. "But at least this is kind of like an ice breaker?" She tried to stay optimistic, but Dipper really couldn't do that at the moment. He scrambled out of her bug with Bill in close tow. "I just want to get to class and do homework. I don't want to talk to people."

"Bro-Bro." Mable closed her door with a swing of her hips, arms folded disapprovingly. Dipper couldn't make eye contact. He knew if he did she'd have total control over him. "A lot of your classmates are kids we've been going to school with since elementary school. Even if you refuse to believe it a lot of them are excited to see you! You were gone for five years!" She sounded upset and it only made Dipper feel worse. He knew it was more for her than him that he makes friends. Her hand was on his shoulder, giving a small squeeze. "You spent all these years alone in Gravity Falls. With the grunkles, in that forest, with only Wendy or Soos. I just. . . I just don't want you to be lonely."

"I'm not lonely. I like being alone." Dipper shrugged her off and he could see her tight smile from the corner of his eye. "Just try to talk to others, please?"

Dipper was going to argue, but Bill had his arm over his shoulders again, pulling the smaller into his side. "Don't worry Star I'll make sure he does."

"Thank you." Mable sounded like herself again and she pulled the two into an awkward hug. Dipper patted her back, but eyed Bill in displeasure. The blond shrugged and Dipper had to take that for an answer enough. "So." Bill cleared his throat and guided the twins towards the building. His single eye was moving around the parking lot rapidly. It only took Dipper a second to realize he was glaring down every student who looked at them. "What did you tell them about me?"

Dipper had to admit this was something he wondered about too. He looked past Bill to Mable. She dipped her head as well, grinning at Dipper. "That you two meet when we visited that first summer and that you guys became inseparable! Which isn't a lie technically." She pointed out and Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose. "Go on Maybes."

"Well. So when summer came to an end you two couldn't bear to be apart! So that's why you stayed in Gravity Falls! And you are back now because Bill wanted you to spend time with your family before you both move away to college." She nodded as if proud of herself, fingers to her chin in a smug checkmark. Dipper groaned into his hands and Bill chuckled between them. "That makes it sound like we're in love and about to get married!"

"What's so bad about that?" Mable smiled strangely. "You two are going right back to Gravity Falls after this aren't you? Not like any of them are going to see you again." Though he could hear the implication in her voice that she _did_ want Dipper to keep in contact with any friends he made. "I don't know what you're mad about." Bill sniggered, snaking his arm around Dipper to put it on his hip. "I don't mind pretending that we're in love. Sounds fun."

"Uh. No. Nipping that right in the bud." Dipper scowled, hitting Bill with a vexing look.

"I think you two would make a cute couple. Talk of the town!" Mable guffawed and Dipper had to whap her with his backpack to get her to quiet down when some of the other teenagers looked there way. He could feel all of their eyes on him. Feeling them tracing his face and looking his body up and down. Maybe they were surprised by how he looked now. Or not. Did he look exactly the same? Just taller? He didn't know. He never took a long time really looking at himself in the mirror, never really liked to. Mable was taller than him. She looked completely different from their middle school days. Her teeth were straight and white and made her already dazzling smile even better. Her hair was long in bouncy curls and she had a personality so bright it outshined the sun. A lot of boys growing up had crushes on her, he wouldn't be surprised if there were even more now.

He sunk a little, already disliking the thought of having to talk to someone. Especially if it turned into a lets-criticize-Dipper conversation with a group of his peers. He'd always been compared to Mable, and after five years away he wouldn't be surprised if that was what every person staring at him in the moment was doing right now.

Bills hand squeezed at where it was on his hip beneath his jacket. And it was comforting in some weird way. Dipper breathed out slowly. At least he had two people to depend on here.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> exposition!!!!


End file.
